More good news for Mathieu van der Poel in his quest to add Mountain Biking World Championship to his collection: "I am sure that Mathieu can do it"

Mathieu van der Poel, the Dutch cycling superstar, is no stranger to world titles. With six cyclocross world championships, one road, and one gravel title to his name, there is only one major prize missing from his illustrious collection: the Mountain Biking World Championship. Van der Poel himself admits that this elusive title still plays on his mind.

In 2025, his path to the mountain biking crown could be slightly easier, thanks to a new UCI rule. The rule allows riders ranked in the top 10 of another cycling discipline to start at least from the fifth row at the Mountain Bike World Championships. This means Van der Poel, currently ranked fifth in the UCI rankings for both road and cyclocross, will not need to compete in numerous UCI mountain biking events to secure a favourable starting position.

The new regulation, implemented after the Mountain Bike World Championships in Glasgow, provides a significant advantage for multi-discipline riders like Van der Poel. For the upcoming championships in the Swiss Valais, the Dutchman can already count on starting from the fifth row, even though he currently has no UCI points in mountain biking.

National coach Gerben de Knegt commented on the situation in an interview with Sporza, saying, "It is true that Mathieu currently has zero UCI points in mountain biking. So he will not start at the very front. Even if Mathieu rode two World Cups, he would not end up in the top 100 of the UCI rankings."

While the new rule helps, De Knegt highlighted the challenges Van der Poel faces in his quest for the mountain biking title.

"I am sure that Mathieu can do it, but at some point before the World Championships he will have to get the feeling that he can become world champion," De Knegt explained.

He also noted the level of competition Van der Poel would face, pointing out the dominance of British rider Tom Pidcock, "It’s been a while since Mathieu has ridden mountain bike at the highest level. Tom Pidcock is the two-time Olympic champion, you can’t beat him that easily," said De Knegt.